FIC: Graceland (Alpha Centauri 8)

[hth]

Graceland
8/8 in the Alpha Centauri series
by Hth

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I haven't been able to update my website effectively recently, so this story is in text format for now. Eventually, this will change, so if you want to link to it for any reason, *please* link to this post. That way I can update here when I can, and you won't get stuck with a dead link. Thank you!

SPOILERS!
Obviously for everything in the Alpha Centauri series, and for much of season 2, and for season 3's "Sateda." Lots of spoilers for season 3's "Sateda." (Oh, and PTB? Thanks a whole freaking lot for sticking me with an entirely new character at the eleventh hour. Kisses.)

WARNINGS!
This story contains possibly inappropriate instances of: Ghostbusters, black & tan, yoga, knives, Blue Hawaii, mommy issues, daddy issues, song lyrics, sodomy, emotional core-dumps, fake alien words, minor characters, Rodney's sad eyes, and the Bible.

AUTHOR'S NOTE!
This story is dedicated to all the people who said, "I don't see how you're going to resolve this." Turns out, you'd be amazed what a mere 33,067 words can accomplish....
More particularly, this is dedicated to thisisbone, who drove all the way to North Carolina to buy me lunch and beg me not to break her heart with this ending. She has both excellent taste in tall, dark alien men and a touching faith in my nobler nature, and is one hell of a writer, to boot.

Alpha Centauri is a trinary star system composed of a primary pair of yellow dwarfs (Alpha Centauri A and B) gravitationally bound to an outlying red dwarf (Proxima Centauri). These stories are a lot like that.

Comments

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

i couldn't go to bed before i finished it, but now i don't have much coherent thought. except for my love for your alien linguistics and the slow recovery and giving us a happy ending...i was devastated after the last part and i'm so glad you mended my broken heart in this one!!! thank you!!!

[jadelennox]

I'm too tired to give real feedback except that it's 4:40 in the morning and the only reason I'm up is that I had to read this story. I love how you brought their arc together, your characterisations of everyone, even the lightly touched characters like Kate and Teyla and the Christian servicemen. Ronon's practically the only reason I still watch th show and I love your characterization of him.

[buddleia.livejournal.com]

I love you so much for doing this. I had no idea how invested I was in all of them until it really looked like a horrifically sad ending. This is about as good as I can imagine it being. And now I go off to hum 'Ghostbusters'.

[miaruma.livejournal.com]

Wah. Thank god for a happy ending. I don't think I could've lived with anything else. I really really love the Alpha Centauri stories, I love the characters besides Rodney, John and Ronon, I love that although they have minor roles their characters seem so true and still so human.

I think I'm going to reread the Alpha Centauri stories asap now that I know how it's going to end and now that I don't have to sit there reading with a slightly anxious feeling of 'omg plis be happy all of you *wibble*' and maybe I can appreciate them even more. Thank you so much for writing such wonderful stories ^^.

[apatheia-jane.livejournal.com]

I used to be ridiculously excited every time a new Alpha Centauri fic was posted, but after the last one, I was almost dismayed to see this post, because not only was this probably the last time I'd ever read a new alpha-cen chapter, I was sure this was going to be the chapter where you utterly & irrevocably leave jagged edges where friends & lovers used to be, & as I'm currently both depressed & undergoing relationship trauma, I really didn't think I could handle you crushing that lingering hope that they could all just get along.

I'm so very glad I didn't have to go through that, I'm so ecstatic that while you can't just fix them, you did get them in balance, somehow. It wasn't remotely what I was expecting, either from initial thoughts after the first 3, or the drastically altered expectations after the way the 7th went down, but to a whole new place that is both harsher & more beautiful than I thought it could be.

Thankyou for these, and I will be reccing this hard as soon as I can. I've already mini-babbled on my lj, couldn't help it.

[aw-lemongirl.livejournal.com]

I'm so unbelievably excited for this. In order to draw it out though, I'm going to have to go back and reread all the parts (again!). Seriously, this has made my whole week! I can't wait!

[myalexandria.livejournal.com]

hurrah for a reasonably happy ending! seriously, I was so worried.


this series is so complex and emotional and sexy -- I'm kind of sorry to see it come to an end, but it is good to have closure. :)

[aynatonal.livejournal.com]

Thank you for not breaking my heart with the ending. What a fantastic series! I've enjoyed it so, so much. I'm going off to re-read the whole thing right now. What a lovely way to spend my Saturday morning!

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Yay! *contemplates ditching friends to read fic*

[thisisbone.livejournal.com]

Did you know that all together, the Alpha Centauri series, including outtakes & epilogue, is right around 108,000 words? Yes, I supposed you did know that. That's a pretty awesome body of work right there.

I'm printing out the whole sucker and starting back at the beginning, so when I get to the end, I know I've earned it.

Thank you, Hth -- I did indeed have faith!

Let me know when it's rec-ready. :)

[mecurtin.livejournal.com]

I just finished, and I want to briefly say:

*HEART!!* ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ HEART HEART HEART HEART HEART!!!

ded frm squee

u rool al thgs

mr ltr

[amalthia]

I loved how you ended this story it was perfect. I loved that it took Ronon longer than a day to get back on his feet again and how his team was there for him and everyone on Atlantis was willing to help. I loved this series so much. thank you for writing and sharing it. :)

[livrelibre.livejournal.com]

Oh I have so much love for this and the way you write them all, especially Ronon's beginning a gradual recovery of himself. This was the extension of Sateda I didn't know I wanted and a perfect, in-character balance for the three (not all hearts and flowers but happy sigh). I will be rereading this whole series again and again.

[opprobrium.livejournal.com]

When I read your stories I can actually HEAR the characters' voices. That is so rare, I can't even begin to tell you. This was fabulous, a great ending. I am so, so happy that it was a happy ending! I didn't like that poor Ronon was so traumatized, and all the heartache you put Rodney through, but I suppose it made the outcome all the sweeter. I am sorry to see the series end, it's by far my favourite!

[blackpapertiger.livejournal.com]

So, seeing this up? Totally made my day, and has now officially prevented me from being prepared for class tomorrow. And i DON'T CARE.

It was wonderful, and painful, and almost made me cry a few times. It also had what I think is the best description ever of John and Rodney's relationship: like having a wall to slam your dislocated shoulder into.

But yes, the whole series is fantastic and heartbreaking, and this ending is as good as it could possibly get. Bittersweet, and so very true to the characters you've shaped throughout the stories. Thank you very much for finishing!

[libra-traveller.livejournal.com]

I read this and I loved it. It was painful, but touching how Ronon healed and I'm so glad that he was able to find happiness with those two. I enjoyed how you intersperced his conversation with Heightmeyer throughout the story. Those talks were difficult but realistic. Everything in this was written really well. I'm glad I took the time to read it.

you steered this ship into port!

[kormantic.livejournal.com]

Dang, child. Ronon not able to say Malena's name, Ghostbusters reminding him of Rodney, Rodney's big sad eyes, "And I fucking miss you, which I hate, you don’t even know how much I hate that part of me...", John trying so hard not to accidentally seduce Ronon (or Rodney) in his vulnerable state, the trip to Graceland with his dad... Gah. And then... yay, they get it together and it's MOLTEN and Rodney narrates the fuck and... ::steam rises from my brain::

Beautiful, beautiful. I read the whole series again yesterday before reading 8.

You are so splendid.

[copracat]

Thank GOD for Bone because I was sure you were going to break my heart, certain of it.

*huggles threesome closure*

[panisdead.livejournal.com]

Mmmm. This was a very satisfying ending.

[choisir-fate.livejournal.com]

I love John & Rodney, and I really don’t like anyone muscling in on their action, but you’ve written such a wonderful Ronon, and such a hot angsty series that John/Rodney/Ronan feels like the best thing ever, the OT3.

I started reading the final story, but then had to stop and go back to the beginning of it all because I really wanted to immerse myself in this again. I have put my life on hold over the last couple of days to read this, but it was oh so worth it.

I ‘d like to give you some more meaningful feedback about all the parts I adored, as opposed to just loving, and why they gave me so much pleasure. However, I have had such a strong emotional reaction to your story that my neurons aren’t firing up as they should so I am not thinking logically yet. I need to come down from this orgasmic high first.

After reading Mutual Thing, I was one of those people who thought there was no way that this could be resolved in a happy way, and I could not imagine you being able to get to the Nothing Rhyme scenario. I took Warning B on your website seriously. I am so glad to see that my imagination is nowhere in your league, I love the ending, it felt so real, so beautiful, so perfect.

This is a truly lovely group of stories that have given me hours of pleasure. Thank you so very very much for sharing.

[masked-kitsune.livejournal.com]

It won't let me open/read it.

*ish sad*

[dmitchell1985.livejournal.com]

I've been following the series via you website, and I finally made it over to have a look at your LJ. I'm almost finished with the eighth chapter, and I was wondering if you were planning anything more for this series, chapter wise. I thought I'd ask before I read the ending chapter posted on the website.

[ratcreature]

I've finally read the whole series and I liked it a lot. I especially loved how real your Sateda seemed and the glimpses at its culture.

[dossier.livejournal.com]

what I adore most about this entire series is the way you've shone a lamp on the murky characters of Ronon and Sheppard. Brilliantly teasing the warp and woof of the admittedly thin cloth canon has given us, and creating some thing better. Thanks for giving Ronon the desperately needed nervous breakdown after Sateda; the sad reality is that serial TV is just not the forum for that kind of exploration.

I will admit that I was thrilled that the story ended this way, but I would have accepted something a little more crushing--sometimes that's just as satisfying as a happy ending. But this, the feeling of triumph over the revenants of Sateda, it was fitting for Ronon to finally achieve that, because it reflects the balance that Ronon has finally reached within. Marvelous.

[tardis80.livejournal.com]

I've been loving this series so much, and I'm so glad to be able to read this last part. And wow, you deal with Ronon in such a serious and sensitive way (which TPTB don't quite), and make him a beautiful many-sided character. I'm thrilled at the ending. I'm so glad it ended happy (and I was having doubts).

Er,I never quite know how to say things right - I'm not very articulate. But I just wanted to say that your writing really moved me. I carry with me a handful of beautiful images: your Ronon and Rodney. their love...

Thank you.

[dodificus.livejournal.com]

Well, initially I was going to post this comment anonymously but *points up* you've disabled anonymous posting:( But this means enough to me to actually go through the embarrassment of posting this comment with my name attached.

I spent the afternoon re-reading this series, I had free time on my hands and I love your writing. It must have been awhile or maybe I missed this part first time around but I don't remember this:


She surprises him by adding, "I can answer this one, though, if you want. This one is easy – common."

"Yeah?" It’s hard for him to believe. He feels so messed up, so out of step with the world. He never figured anyone felt like this before him, let alone lots of people.

"Yeah," she says kindly. "They took you seriously when they thought you were suicidal. They stopped treating it like a phase and started behaving as if you were in real danger. And you were in real danger. You knew that. You’re not comfortable with verbal self-disclosure, so you couldn’t tell anyone. You made it physical instead, made it something they could see when it was right in front of them. And it worked. It’s a desperate tactic, but it does sometimes work. We call it a cry for help."

I think it's enough for me to say that this made me cry, that it's so sharp and vicious, like you cut right into me and pulled out something that I was aware of but didn't understand, couldn't really articulate.

I think that if you wrote that part completely without any first hand experience of the topic then my respect and admiration for your writing has just exploded, it's insightful and beautifully written. Painful but beautiful.

[hth-the-first.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this comment! It's always a little nerve-wracking to step away from the monsters-destroyed-my-planet kind of story conflict and deal with something that you know full well will cut close to the bone for some of your readers. I felt a little odd about having his motives stated that directly on the page (I usually like to do a little dance around the outside, if at all possible *g*), but I really felt like it had to be clear that death wasn't what Ronon was ever looking for -- that he was essentially a strong man who'd lost all control in his life and been made very helpless, and that when he tells Sheppard "this is my decision," what he really means is, "I have to make *some* kind of decision, so get me back to a place in my life where this isn't the only decision I get to make." I think that kind of frustration and helplessness is a familiar feeling to a lot of people, whether or not they've ever tried to cope with it the way Ronon does. I wish everyone had friends like Teyla and Sheppard in their lives to help them get where they should be, you know?

Thanks again for braving the non-anonymity to tell me that this had an effect on you. I think good writing has done that for me in the past -- made my own experiences make more sense in context -- so it's really amazing to know that I wrote something that did that for someone else.

[shalom]

I just spent the past three days reading this, stealing time whenever possible, and didn't think I could wait another day. This piece is just beautiful; I didn't know where things would lead and worried over the almost-goods and certain-to-be-a-disaster occurrences. But the recurring theme that was most enjoyable is how damn complicated the characters are - there is nothing easy for any of them. And the complexity of your story is beautifully drawn as well. This was a very enjoyable and satisfying read.